Season Review: Baseball Took Major Step Forward in 2014

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MOREHEAD, Ky. -- The Morehead State baseball program recently wrapped up its 2014 season. The Eagles finished 29-28 overall, set a school record for conference wins with 16 and advanced to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournanent for the third time since 2009. Below are notes on the season, the second for MSU under Head Coach Mike McGuire.

A Record Breaking Team
Morehead State's offense established single-season school records for at-bats with 2,081, triples with 20 and hit-by-pitch with 94. The pitching staff set the single-season school mark for strikeouts with 427 and tied the school standard for saves with 16.

Individual Records Too
Junior right fielder Brandon Rawe set MSU's single-season record for hits with 98. He eclipsed former Eagle Andrew Deeds' record of 87 on May 15 versus Jacksonville State. He finished second in the league in hits and led the conference in hits per game. Junior second baseman Tyler Bigler established the Ohio Valley Conference and MSU single-season record for being hit by pitches with 30. He tied for second nationally in HPB.

Honors and Awards
Rawe was named First-Team All-OVC, while junior catcher Chris Robinson was tabbed to the second-team. Pitcher Luke Humphreys earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team. Rawe and Robinson, along with junior shortstop Robby Spencer were named all-conference by College Sports Madness. Junior first baseman Kane Sweeney was tabbed National Hitter of the Week on May 20 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association.

A Program on the Rise
The 2014 team shattered 2013 totals for wins (29 compared to 16), OVC wins (16 compared to 10), home wins (13 compared to five) and road wins (15 compared to six). The 16 OVC wins are a program-best. This year's 16-14 league finish also marked just the third time in 20 seasons MSU concluded the regular season above .500 in conference games.

Knocking Off The Big Boys
Morehead State defeated two nationally-ranked opponents this year, both in the same week. The Eagles upended No. 12 Kentucky, 6-4, on April 8. MSU beat No. 23 Indiana 8-7 on April 23. The win over UK marked MSU's first over a ranked foe since the 2007 season.

Getting Off To Good Starts
Morehead State claimed the first game in six of its 10 OVC series. The Eagles were the only OVC school to defeat regular-season champion Southeast Missouri twice during the regular season. MSU also knocked off OVC Tournament champion Jacksonville State twice during the final series before the league tournament.

Melting Pot
The 2014 team was represented by 15 states and one Canadian province. The roster included 21 newcomers.

Rawe Power
Junior right fielder Brandon Rawe finished the season ranked in the top 30 in several NCAA stat categories. He came in fourth in hits, ranked eighth in total bases, was 16th in doubles and 28th in slugging percentage.

This Team Can Hit
As a team, Morehead State finished among the nation's best offensive clubs. The Eagles ranked seventh in the county in on-base percentage, ninth nationally in hits, 10th in batting average, 15th in slugging percentage, 16th in hit-by-pitch, 17th in doubles and runs per game and 21st in triples.

Burning It Up
Senior designated hitter Bobby Burns finished his career on a 20-game hitting streak. He hit safely in 32 of his last 33 games. Three others - Rawe, Robinson and senior third baseman Jeff Birkofer - put together double-digit game hitting streaks throughout the campaign.

Sit Em Down
Morehead State's pitching staff shattered the school record for strikeouts, sitting down 427 opposing batters. Sophomore righty Matt Anderson led the with 67 punchouts, while Humphreys recorded 63. From the bullpen, sophomore Tyler Keele fanned 57 in 49 innings, and sophomore Craig Pearcy sat down 55 in 55.2 innings. Pearcy became the Eagles' closer and recorded eight saves.